60 likes | 158 Views
Delve into the complex dynamics of care work, its impact on female labor force participation, and the implications for public policy. Explore the challenges in making care work contractual and the potential benefits of intervention in segmented labor markets. Uncover the nuances of balancing market failures and credit constraints in addressing care work for children and the elderly.
E N D
Comments on “Care Work” Jishnu Das (DECRG)
The Question • How should we provide care for children and the elderly • Is there a role for public policy
The implicit subsidy • Low female labor force participation + limited set of jobs that they are employed in • This means • A wage discount in the jobs that are “socially acceptable” (Examples: US, Pakistan) • A wage discount in care work at home (Examples: Colombia, Pakistan, India) • Both can/will change with increasing female lfp
The Question (again) • What parts of “care work” are contractible? • If fully contractible, removing the market distortion from segmented labor markets should improve things • Income effect from mothers working outside greater than substitution effect of maternal presence • But, empirical evidence + theory suggests that contractibility may be an issue (can’t buy me love)
Implications for bank work • Get that labor agenda started again… • For instance, time-use data on what women are doing is key to understanding these issues • Example
Questions (again) • Policy: if 2 market failures are better than 1, then govt. may do good • (remove the market segmentation, but retain the credit constraint) • BUT • Where to intervene? Kids? Adults? Pre-School? • Multiple things going on • Lower fertility • Kids later in life • Demand for privacy • Migration • Father’s change (believe it or not) • Increased productivity at home (Time in the US with kids pretty much constant due to this + the one above)